Applebloom dreamt of a warm summer day, relaxing with her friends Rumble and Sweetie Belle under the apple trees on the family farm. She always enjoyed those days, the smell of the leaves and grass filling her nose.
But soon, she stirred and examined her surroundings. She and Scootaloo had stopped in a forest grove, some distance from the Everfree, and had slept there because it was quiet and protected from the wind. Nearby, Scootaloo awoke from her sleep too.
“Slept well friend?” Scootaloo questioned, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Yeah, just,” Applebloom paused, “I sort of wish Rumble was here, I don’t like how he wasn’t willing to help me because of you.”
If Scootaloo felt hurt, she didn’t show it.
“I guess now is the time to find breakfast and maybe continue on our way.” Scootaloo stated.
“About that, I think it might be best if we make our way toward Manehatten, I’ve family there, we can work out what to do from there, problem is, I don’t know where we are now.” Applebloom replied, looking discouraged.
“Then we shall have to find a town and the distance and direction to this Manehatten.” Scootaloo answered, eating a nearby flower.
“I guess, we’ll just keep going the direction we were walking in last night.” Applebloom muttered, looking for breakfast herself.
Things for Rumble however had not gone right since the clubhouse the day before. He had returned to Ponyville, only to have walked right into the royal guard and their leader. He was taken for questioning of the location of the other missing foals, while the family of Applebloom were informed when Rumble had accidentally wished he had stayed with her instead of returning to the town.
Time Twister, despite his own confidence issues, was good at interrogations. It had always been his favourite part of his job even before his promotion, it gave him a warm feeling to see the one being questioned squirm.
“Now, you mentioned the name Applebloom as being one of the foals that got away from us yesterday, did you want to make things easier for me and give me the name of the orange pegasus?” Time Twister asked calmly, his voice suggesting it would be in the best interest of Rumble to give the name.
“This isn’t how to interrogate a foal, sir.” Shining Armor stated.
Time Twister rolled his eyes. Always a buzzkill to the fun wasn’t there?
“How would you suggest I do this then, Lieutenant?”
Instead of answering, Shining Armor sat down on the chair next to Rumble, and with his magic, brought a soda drink to the table, placing it before Rumble.
“Thirsty?” he asked. Rumble took a sip and smiled, while Time Twister rolled his eyes.
“Now,” Shining Armor spoke softly and in a comforting tone, “we need the last missing foal’s name, it could help us get them home safe, after all, I’m sure you three only ran because you had been scared, who can blame you? You are only young after all.”
“Oh please! This is the slow approach, Shining, I can tell you,” Time Twister began to yell.
“Scootaloo. That’s her name.” Rumble answered.
Time Twister blinked once, then twice, slowly turning his head to face Rumble and away from the smug look Shining Armor now wore.
“Shining, a word privately if you please.”
Together, the two left the room, and Rumble enjoyed the silence and the drink.
Outside, Time looked annoyed, but what Shining didn’t know was that this annoyance was towards himself, and not others.
“Can I trust you with a secret? Friend to friend.” Time Twister asked.
“Of course, what is it?”
“That third foal, the orange pegasus we know is named Scootaloo, I believe she is tied to a little obsession of mine.” Time Twister stated.
“Woah, dude, that’s not okay! Look for someone your own age!” Shining stumbled back.
“Not like that fool! For years I’ve been looking for any evidence of other dimensions. The magic that this Scootaloo held, it’s not from our world, and you know we were trained to know of all the magic in this world,” Time watched as Shining realised he wasn’t a foal-fiddler and got closer again, but still held a look of concern, “how many pegasi do you know that could cast an advanced teleportation spell? We need to get her, find how she did it. If it turns out to be a spell holding stone, I know that maybe all my efforts these last few years were for nothing.”
Time Twister turned to go back into the interrogation room.
“Sir, what if it wasn’t a spell holding stone?”
Time Twister only replied with a grin.
Two hours passed after they had a small breakfast consisting of whatever flowers they could find to eat, when at last the open plains beyond the forest turn into a seaside town. Both Applebloom and Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief and wandered into the town, the local townsponies barely glancing at them. The buildings were all made of wood, which was constantly repainted over the damage of the salty sea air.
“Alright, now we’re here, we just need to find a place of local information.” Scootaloo stated, looking around at the buildings.
The ones she could see right away were simple shops, fishmongers for the meat eating creatures that passed by, a fruit and veg stall for ponies, a pawnbrokers and a bookseller to name a few, but nowhere could she see a sign of the name of the town.
“Well, I don’t think we should go into such a place, but we ain’t going to drink, every town’s bar is the place to go for information, come on!” Applebloom said, heading in a random direction in search of a bar.
Wandering behind her, Scootaloo ran the word through her head.
“A bar. I don’t know this word in the context you are using it.”
They soon came upon a street, mostly empty save for homes. In the middle of this street was a bar, the wood exterior made it look homely and inviting, and a few patrons were either entering or leaving. Above the doorway, a sign creaked, a picture of three mares at the foot of a tree, but the name of the bar was faded, the paint chipping away.
The door to the bar creaked as the two fillies entered, all the ponies inside had ceased whatever they were doing or saying to look at them. The bartender, an old stallion wearing dusty old glasses actually lowered them with a disapproving stare directed at them.
“A social gathering place, intriguing.” Scootaloo mumbled.
“We don’t serve youngsters here.” The bartender flatly stated, returning to cleaning that one pint glass that bartenders always seemed to have that would never get clean.
“Sorry, it's just, we got lost in the countryside, and we don’t know where we are, what’s the name of the town?” Applebloom asked.
Before the bartender could reply that he wouldn’t answer them and make them leave, and hoof struck the table it’s owner was sat at, clinking every pint glass on it loudly. The bartender looked in the direction of the sudden noise and seemed to become incredibly timid. Looking where the bartender had, Applebloom and Scootaloo saw a table crowded by stallions, all of various colours, but they seemed to be wearing very tattered clothes, and had pistols and swords attached to belts strapped around their barrels. The hoof that had struck the table however belonged to an icy blue earth pony stallion, who had a long red coat with gold trim and buttons. His green eyes seemed to study the fillies as he held his black hat on his head.
“Very unusual for fillies to enter me bar, but I suppose I can be your hero since your lost, get your flanks over here.” he said softly.
“Now I must protest! Fillies in the bar is one thing but,” the bartender had quickly forgot who he was talking to was the same stallion that had scared him badly just a moment before, and he quickly reminded himself.
“Ah calm yourself, I ain’t going to do anything bad to them. They’re young and looking for home, despite my reputation, I can be honourable.”
As the conversation between the bartender and the stallion continued, Applebloom tried to push Scootaloo back out of the bar.
“What is the matter friend?” Scootaloo asked.
“They’re mercenaries, we got to get out of here.” Applebloom whispered.
“But he is offering help, can we really afford to turn it down?”
“If it’ll keep me and get me safe, yes.” Applebloom snapped.
“Come now Applebloom, I am a good judge of character, no harm will come to us.” Scootaloo answered, trotting around Applebloom and over to the pirates. Applebloom groaned and reluctantly followed.
As they arrived, the stallion had finished his conversation with the bartender and smiled at the two fillies. The others with him made space, but at the same time kept some distance while staying as close to the stallion as possible.
“So little lasses, your lost?”
“That is correct. We just need to know where we are and where Manehatten is so we can be on our way.” Scootaloo answered.
“Manehatten? Well your not far, this here is the town of Featherfall, about twenty miles down the coast from Manehatten.” the stallion answered, his smile held no malice or ill intent towards the two fillies he was talking to.
“Thank you, mr?” Scootaloo asked.
“Name’s High Wind.” High Wind offered a hoof to shake to Scootaloo, which she did.
“Hey boss! Before they go, why not share a story with them? Something for them to think about ‘fore going to sleep tonight back in Manehatten?” one of the stallions said. It was meant as a jest at the expense of the boss, and swiftly met with an empty bottle flung at the crew member’s head.
“Not really a bad idea, now listen to me fillies, for this is a tale of mystical ponies, who live far longer than we can ever hope to live,” High Wind smiled, moving from leaning back to nursing his latest pint glass. While the rest of the crew reeked of alcohol, High Wind seemed unphased by all the drinks he had drunk, “beautiful creatures, and wise, their lives span millennia, not decades. The elven ponies. To look at them, they seem no different aside from the slender bodies, thinner legs and barrels, graceful necks, and long pointed ears.”
“Now I’ve described them, this here is a tale of the elven pony who sought to save his true love from death. She was dying of an unknown curse, and he travelled far, slaying fearsome dragons for their blood, which was said to be able to counter curses.”
High Wind sighed as he stared into the amber liquid in the glass at his hooves.
“But alas, on his return, the curse had taken his love. Full of sorrow, he buried his lost love and poured the blood upon her grave, but imagine his shock when it turned into a crystal tree! He one day found a new mare to love, and took his first born to the tree, where the crystal tree bloomed a single flower for the foal,” High Wind laughed, “a silly little story of course, since elven ponies don’t exist.”
Scootaloo was smiling, contrasting Applebloom who seemed to now be very nervous as she noted the crew were focused on Scootaloo.
“I remember that one, I was only,” Scootaloo was stopped suddenly by Applebloom, who jabbed her ribs lightly with the tip of a hoof.
At first annoyed, Scootaloo soon noticed what had made Applebloom nervous and even make her stop talking. The crew had the look in their eyes that they had all become richer than kings, and looking at High Wind, he too had a different look on his face, no longer the kind stallion that wanted to help two lost fillies.
“I only had a slight suspicion at first,” he said menacingly, “but you react as if it weren’t a silly story. I suspect you lasses are elven ponies, and are going to make me very rich.”
“RUN!” Applebloom screamed.
The crew in their intoxicated state all jumped as one at the spot both Applebloom and Scootaloo were sat at, collapsing in a pile as the two fillies wriggled out at the edge of the pile and ran for the door. The bartender gained more courage as he drew a shotgun from somewhere behind the bar, but ducked for cover as High Wind fired a warning shot at him.
“Can’t trust you lads for anything can I? After them! We’re going to be richer than Maakera herself, or if any of you can’t get them, it’ll be the wet sleep for all of you!” High Wind yelled, firing more shots above the bartender’s head to ensure that the old stallion didn’t react too hastily.
Rushing for the door, the crew actually managed to escape in their drunken states, and flowed out into the streets.
Running everywhere in search of the fillies, the crew quickly caught the attention of the locally stationed royal guards, who apprehended some of the mercenaries, quickly learning that they were chasing two fillies, a yellow earth pony and orange pegasus, on the orders of their boss. They quickly rallied in search of the fillies themselves to protect them from the mercenaries.
Meanwhile, Applebloom and Scootaloo had ran into an alley, finding refuge in an empty box, while around them, gun battles between mercenaries and royal guard began to break out. At one point, a stray shot broke into the box and hit Scootaloo in her wing, and she gave an involuntary yelp of pain.
“We need ta get you to a doctor, but only when its safe. You’ll just have to bear it for now.” Applebloom whispered to the crying Scootaloo, as she tried to apply pressure and stop the bleeding.
Without warning, the side of the box they were hiding in was thrown open, and both fillies were staring at the barrel of the gun held by High Wind.
“Now you two are causing me to lose crew, they ain’t cheap, so you better be worth the money you’ll make me.” he grinned, only to be hit by a blue blur the next second.
“Perfect! Featherfall station captain Soarin is the first to find the mercenary boss. Now, will you come quietly? I’ll make sure the trap door of the gallows will work fast so you won’t feel a thing if you do!” Soarin gloated.
High Wind stood up, grabbing his gun and with one shot, grazed Soarin’s wing.
“Not a chance in Tartarus! I’ll gut ya like the pig that you are!”
As High Wind fought the local royal captain Soarin, Applebloom and Scootaloo took the distraction as a chance to escape. They quickly made it to the town limits, where Applebloom took the chance to ensure Scootaloo’s wing would be fine for the twenty mile trip to Manehatten. High Wind meanwhile knocked Soarin unconscious, deciding it would waste more time to kill him than it would be to grab the fillies and get to his ship. But he yelled in anger when he saw they had used the fight as the distraction they needed to get away. He whistled and ran towards the coast where his dual sea-air ship was docked. The fillies weren’t going to get away that easily...